A Game for the Living
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Harper & Brothers (1958) | |
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A Game for the Living (1958) is a psychological thriller novel by Patricia Highsmith. It is the sixth of her 22 novels and the only one set in Mexico.
Composition
The novel is dedicated to one of Highsmith's college teachers, Ethel Sturtevant, "my friend and teacher", along with Dorothy Hargreaves and Mary McCurdy.[1]
Synopsis
Ramon, a devoutly
Reception
Dorothy B. Hughes, a somewhat older author of crime fiction who did not care for Highsmith's writing in general, objected in private to Highsmith's "lack of empathy to the Mexican nationals" in this novel.[2]
Highsmith herself had a negative opinion of her novel, regretting her attempt to write in the mystery genre. She later wrote:
I had tried to do something different from what I had been doing, but this caused me to leave out certain elements that are vital for me: surprise, speed of action, stretching the reader's credulity, and above all the intimacy with the murderer himself. I am not an inventor of puzzles, nor do I like secrets. The result, after rewriting the book four times in a gruelling year of work, was mediocrity. I always say to foreign publishers, and to publishers who contemplate a reprint, "This is my worst book, so please think twice before you buy it."[3]
References
- ^ Schenkar, Joan (2009). The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith. St. Martin's Press. p. 425. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ^ Schenkar, The Talented Miss Highsmith, [page needed]
- ^ Highsmith, Patricia (1983). Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction. Poplar Press. p. 123.